


Epilogue: Air

by 0trevskies



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, non-canon compliant, you kind of have to squint for the zuko/aang but i promise it's there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:36:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28492509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0trevskies/pseuds/0trevskies
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	Epilogue: Air

It had been a long five years of mending the world after the war. One town at a time. Months of locating prisons and relocating those who had been taken from their homes. It took all their efforts to rebuild what had been destroyed. To set up trade routes. To mourn. It would take even longer for everyone to forgive.

It helped that the new Firelord was almost always seen by the side of the Avatar who had saved them. That said Avatar wouldn’t stop singing his praises of how he could not have done it without him. Zuko would glare at him, but it was obvious he was flustered by the praise. It endeared people to him. The face of the Fire Nation was as scarred as they were for standing up for what was right.

In these days that followed Ozai’s defeat the gang was scattered. This saddened Aang, but he knew it would not be forever and that it was for a good outcome. Toph was in the Earth Kingdom helping with the restoration efforts (both of the city and her relationship with her folks). Sokka and Katara were working with their sister tribe to make the Southern one great again.

Most days, it was him, Momo, Appa, and Zuko. While the work was tough, Aang had never been more content since he awoke from the ice.

However, every now and again he would remember that once his duty to helping the world recover was complete, his job of restoring the air temples would start. He wanted his homes back to their former glory…and he wanted them filled with Airbenders.

This was where he tended to bury his thoughts, embarrassed at what that meant for him. He’d think of Katara, who he’d believed would be the love of his life. As they both grew, it was made obvious that love was not so simple. They were just children in the midst of war when they met. It was a fancy, and while they still held love for one another, they knew it was not one that would lead to marriage and children. Aang figured he would meet someone someday to continue his line, but the thought made him feel empty. Gone were the elders that would teach. _He’d_ have to be the elder.

He was brought out of such thoughts by a pai sho tile hitting him square in the arrow on his forehead. The small impact hadn’t helped bring him insight unfortunately.

He blinked, looking up at Iroh, who smiled patiently.

“You have a glass face my boy. What is troubling you?”

Iroh lived in Ba Sing Se half of the year, and spent the other half at the Fire Palace, for he missed his nephew too much to stay away.

Aang had grown close to Iroh very early in the days after the war. He reminded him a lot of Gyatso. He thinks they would’ve been good friends.

He smiles at the older firebender. While Aang’s face had grown harder since he’d past puberty, his grin was just as goofy.

“I’m fine Uncle,” the timber of his voice rang deeper now.

“Mm, you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. While that is true with you being the Avatar and all, you do not normally show it so plainly.”

Aang let out a breath, the grin leaving him. It was always easy to talk to Iroh. His wisdom, while sometimes odd, almost always gave him peace.

“Just, thinking about the future.”

“It’s good to look ahead to know where you’re going, but look too far and you’ll miss what is happening around you.” He patted Aang’s tattooed hand. “You are still very young and have already achieved great things. It is okay to rest.”

Aang smiled gratefully, nodding and making his next move. Momo’s paw would come up every now and again to try and swipe a tile. Iroh placated him with nectarine slices.

Later, after Aang had beaten Iroh (for the first time in awhile), a knock sounded on the door. Zuko stepped through with a swish of crimson robes. He grinned at his uncle’s morose expression.

“Beat you did he?” he asked, a little too pleased.

Aang smiled at Zuko in victory, though he felt himself pause once he looked up at his friend.

While he saw him nearly every day, it was still a shock how much his friend had changed. He wore a more casual version of his robes now, but in his full Firelord regalia he was quite the spectacle. He’d let his hair grow out, much like Ozai’s, but Aang and Iroh agreed that he looked more like his mother. And Avatar Roku.

He’d gotten taller, but not as tall as Aang was turning out to be. For having been so small in youth, he’d shot up when he turned sixteen. Zuko’s face always pinched whenever Aang looked down at him.

“Want to try your luck?” Aang asked, waving a tile between his fingers.

Zuko rolled his eyes, brushing hair out of his face. When he wasn’t in court, he tended to let it fall around his shoulders.

“You know very well that I suck at pai sho.”

“I know, it’s a guaranteed victory.”

Iroh laughed while Zuko harrumphed.

“It’s dinner time old men, hurry before I let Appa and Rizen eat it all.”

The two grinned before getting up to follow him, Momo curling around Aang’s neck with muffled chirping. They went through the vast corridors, which were less dark now that they actually opened the windows, leading to the outside. When the weather was good they enjoyed taking their meals in the pavilion. Appa greeted them with a soft bellow as he enjoyed his hay. Rizen lounged near him, puffing out steam once he saw them.

Rizen, Zuko’s dragon.

It had been quite the day when the large silver reptile had flown in (landing at the palace with no shortage of flair). Zuko had kept everyone back, except Aang, approaching the beast with caution. He’d given a deep bow, which Aang copied, before they performed the dragon’s dance. Even after so long, they did not falter in the steps. Once complete, the dragon had nuzzled the Firelord, nearly knocking him off his feet. Iroh had squeezed his nephew so hard he nearly lifted him off the ground, beaming with pride.

“Witness my nephew, the first Firelord to have a dragon companion in a century!”

This news was not only celebrated by the fire nation, but the other kingdoms as well. It was a sure sign of peace that the dragons had returned.

The news spread far and wide, reaching even the most remote settlements.

The smallest groups.

It was a blustering day in the Fire Nation, and Aang was reveling in it. He let the air tug him every which way, pulling at his robes, tossing him up and letting him fall. He was master of all the elements and he loved each of them; The soothing but powerful force of water, the steady weight of earth, and the life of fire. But he would always love his own element just a little bit more. It was home.

The wind carried the sound of the siren bell with startling pitch. Aang nearly fell for real, catching himself to land on his feet. He looked towards the gates, turning when he heard footsteps rushing toward him.

Zuko’s hair was flying erratically in the harsh gusts but his gold eyes burned with focus.

“That’s the siren of someone unknown approaching!”

They both ran towards the guard towers, winding up the stairs to where the chief was, staring through her telescope.

“What is it? Ships?” Aang asked.

She shook her head, her face disbelieving when she turned to them. She didn’t bow, which didn’t bother Aang or Zuko, but it showed how shocked she was.

“No, they are airborn. I thought it might be balloons but…” she gave the telescope to Aang.

He brought it up to his right eye, scanning the skies. Once he caught sight, he dropped the glass, shattering it.

“Aang?! What is it?” Zuko asked.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the shapes approaching.

“Bison.”

They went back down out to the pavilion, Aang flinging himself out of the tower, heads turned toward the sky as the massive creatures descended. Appa lumbered over to Aang, nudging him as if to ask what was going on. Momo chattered from where he perched on his friend’s horn.

Once the foreign bison touched down, Appa grunted as if in greeting. The other sky bison responded in turn, as figures descended from their saddles.

Zuko gripped Aang’s shoulder, who’d finally gotten to ground level, which the Avatar was grateful for. It kept him centered, knowing he had not somehow ended up in the spirit world where what was in front of him might be possible.

The people were adorned in earth-toned clothes, shielding most of their faces. One approached, removing their head garb. She was at least forty summers, lines decorated her eyes, which were a startling grey. A grey Zuko had only seen when he had the courage to look his friend in the eye directly.

The woman bowed.

“Avatar Aang. Fire Lord Zuko.”

They bowed in turn.

When they straightened the newcomer smiled.

“I’m sorry we did not come sooner. We had to be sure it was safe.”

“Who are you?” Aang asked, denying the hope that was growing in his heart.

The other people took off their own headgear, all sporting dark hair and storm cloud eyes.

“We are your people Avatar Aang. Your family. We are the descendants of the Air Nomads.”

She tossed her head scarf into the air, fingers moving delicately, controlling the movement of the fabric until it hung around her neck.

Giant, watery tears fell from Aang’s eyes, and the world became very small to him. Only Zuko’s hand, still squeezing his shoulder, was known to him.

Once the bison and lemurs, who Appa and Momo were eagerly socializing with, were fed and stabled, they all settled in the grand dining room. Their guests were watered and fed generously. It took all of Aang’s manners not to demand answers from them the moment they sat down.

Luckily their leader, Kyonga, was forthcoming.

“When you disappeared, the elders knew that war would soon be upon them. They evacuated the air temples as much as they could. Many stayed to fight. They died knowing that at least some of their people would survive.” She played with the steam coming off her tea. Just seeing someone beside himself airbending made Aang’s heart clench. “Our ancestors went into deep hiding, finding the most inhospitable parts of the world. If our heritage was to survive, we could not follow our ways. We could not practice airbending, we could not have tattoos. We had to bury everything that made us, us. Only through spoken word on our 16th year did we learn of our origins.”

She looked up, her eyes definitely admiring the blue on Aang’s skin.

“That is the world I grew up in. We knew that we would either wait until the Fire Nation destroyed the world, or until the war was over.” She smiled. “It took years for the news to reach us that the war had ended, but even then we could not come out of hiding. We had waited too long to be hasty.” She looked at Zuko. “Once news came of the dragons returning to the Fire Lord, we knew it was time.”

“How many are there of you?” Zuko asked, and Aang was grateful, for words escaped his grasp.

He couldn’t get his voice past his tongue.

“In my group, around a hundred. All together, at least five hundred. The population of the air temples was never anywhere near as large as the other nations, but we are still very low in numbers. Endangered you would say.”

Zuko turned to him, eyes searching to make sure he was alright. Aang didn’t know if he was, all he knew was that there were five hundred people like him.

He looked her in the eyes.

“When I discovered the fate of my friends, my people, I felt a loss that I knew I would never recover from. I came to accept that I would never see my home filled with the sky bison or the airbenders. I could only hope that one day, long after I was gone, that my heritage would live on.” He clenched his teeth to keep his voice from choking up. “And here you are…”

Kyonga clasped his hand across the table, smiling.

“We are here brother. We want to go to the home we never knew but have always yearned for. We want you to teach us the old ways that have been erased. To learn the true art of airbending. To earn our arrows.”

The others nodded and smiled in agreement.

Aang breathed deeply, centering himself.

“Well, we better get started.”

Aang was laying in his bed in the Fire palace, staring at the ceiling. Sleep evaded him, his thoughts refusing to calm. How would he get all of his people to the temples? Who would go to which temple? How could he teach so many people airbending? How could he tattoo so many-?

A knock on his door silenced his thoughts.

“Come in!”

Zuko’s scarred eye appeared.

“I didn’t wake you did I?”

Aang smiled as he sat up.

“Nah, come on in Sifu Hotman.”

Zuko sighed, long ago accepting his title.

“How are you feeling?”

Aang wrapped his arms around his knees as his friend sat next to him.

“Overwhelmed.”

“Do not forget that you are not alone. You may be the last air nomad who knows your people’s ways, but you have friends to support you. We should call in everyone.”

Aang smiled, thinking how they hadn’t seen their little gang all together in awhile. Not since Zuko’s birthday.

“Thank you.”

With Zuko’s hand on his back, the warmth of his inner fire, he thought just maybe he knew true peace.


End file.
